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Southern Weddings Weekly Round-Up

by in Main on

It is a very exciting weekend around these parts–this Sunday, one of our dear friends and Blue Ribbon Vendor photographers is headed down to Chapel Hill to take our V8 team photos! 99.9 percent of the time, our jobs are desk jobs just like many of yours, but one day a year, we cherish the opportunity to dress up and spend time together in front of the camera. Right after our team photos, we’ll be kicking off our second annual team retreat at The Carolina Inn, so follow along on Instagram–we’re excited to share two days of digging deep into our mission and the culture of the South with y’all! (There may or may not be some dance parties to share too, if last year was any indication!)

See more from this engagement session by AisPortraits on our Facebook page!

In case you missed it this week…

We loved hearing Anna from In Honor of Design’s favorite thing about marriage in Sweet Tea Sunday!
Get to know the gents behind the Southern Weddings office renovation.

As seen in V7, Kathie and Matt took extra care to make their wedding guests feel welcome.
Sarah and Cam were inspired by their gorgeous venue in downtown Raleigh for their summer wedding.
Annemarie and Sean‘s family and friends pitched in to bring their classic wedding vision to life.

More weekend reading:

Have you seen our Best of the South pages? Click around to learn about your favorite Southern states.
Kristin’s Hints for a Happy Marriage series is one of our all-time favorites. Read it here!
Sperry Tents add such a special, celebratory feel to a wedding–learn about why we love them here.

Sponsor Corner

I think every Southern gal dreams about a “blush and bashful” wedding á la Steel Magnolias at least once in her life, and for the ladies who make that a reality at their weddings, Donna Morgan has some gorgeous shades for your bridesmaids’ dresses! Along with traditional Blush, they also have a pretty color called Petal, which looks like a cross between pale pink and the softest lavender. Dresses in Petal are available in both long and short styles ranging from strapless to one-shoulder to sleeveless, so there’s bound to be something your ladies will love! Find all of the styles online here.

Have a lovely weekend, and congratulations to anyone getting married, including our Southern Bride Blogger, Allison!

lisa Written with love by Lisa
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The best weddings feel like experiences outside of time and set apart from normal life, where everyone has the attention, space, and energy to focus on what matters most. There are many ways you can help cultivate this atmosphere – have a strong logistics plan, budget time for moments with family members – but one of our favorites is creating an environment that feels special, and marks the occasion. I can think of no better way to accomplish this than with a Sperry Tent. (I will admit to a bias, though – I rented one for my wedding!)

Three looks at a Sperry tent from Lauren + Rob’s wedding (photos by Jen Fariello)

The beauty of Sperry Tents is that they are strikingly beautiful just as they are – no tent liner, no draping, no elaborate florals or lighting needed. They are elegant and classic.

Sperry Tents are handcrafted by sailmakers in coastal Massachusetts and are made from genuine sailcloth. The wooden support poles are hand-milled at a historic 1930s sawmill. All of their design decisions prioritize craftsmanship and have a minimal, classic aesthetic that’s at home anywhere from a field to a beach to a manicured backyard. You can really feel the love that went into each one when you’re standing inside!

Jacqueline Campbell via Southern Weddings

And yes, those merry pennant flags come standard with every rental. I adore them!!

If you do have a strong color scheme or elaborate decor in mind, a Sperry Tent is the perfect neutral backdrop – no clashing carpet or bad lighting to get in the way! Speaking of lighting, Sperry retailers also offer a variety of beautiful options, from cafe lights to classic fisherman-style lanterns.

Nancy Ray via Southern Weddings

Sperry Tents are only available through a network of licensed providers and are available for rent throughout the South. You can find out much more on their website here! I personally guarantee you will not regret your decision to go with a Sperry :)

This post is brought to you by Sperry Tents – thanks for your support of the brands that make Southern Weddings possible!

emily Written with love by Emily
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We never get tired of the classics around here–there’s just something so sweet about knowing a couple will still love every detail of their wedding when they show the pictures to their grandchildren someday! Annemarie and Sean certainly fit that bill, and what is even more special about their celebration is how involved their community was in bringing it to life. The reception was held at Annemarie’s grandparents’ home, and friends and family members contributed their time, talents, and treasures to make every detail magical for the newlyweds. Be sure to read Annemarie’s interview for some of the special ways their loved ones contributed–it included everything from the catering, to the magnolia leaves, to their getaway car!

Thank you so much to Olivia Griffin for sharing this lovely day with us!

I went wedding dress shopping with my mom, grandma, and aunt at The Poinsett Bride in Greenville soon after I got engaged. I had a specific Steven Birnbaum dress with an illusion neckline in mind that I wanted to try. The bridal salon didn’t have the dress I was looking for, but they did have a very similar dress by the same designer. As soon as I put it on, we all knew it fit the timeless, classic look I was hoping for. The ladies at The Poinsett Bride were able to add a custom illusion neckline to the dress. I could not have been happier with the way it all came together!

What made you choose your ceremony and reception venues? Did they have any special significance to you? We were married at First Presbyterian Church of Laurens, a lovely, historic church in my hometown. Choosing our reception venue was easy for me: most of our family gatherings center around my grandparents’ home. Many of my favorite memories, from birthday parties to family weddings, have taken place there, and I couldn’t imagine having the reception anywhere else.

We are so glad we did a first look. Olivia captured some of my favorite pictures from the whole day during it. We really enjoyed being able to spend some time alone together before the wedding, especially since it was an evening wedding. We also wanted to spend as much time as possible with our guests at the reception, so doing a first look was an easy decision for us.

Did you write your own vows? If so, what was your favorite phrase, verse or line? My grandfather is a minister, and he performed our ceremony using traditional vows. He married my parents as well, so it was very special to all of us to have him play such a meaningful role.
Tell us about some of the songs you used throughout your wedding and why you chose them. My uncle sang “My Shepherd Will Supply My Need,” a beautiful Southern hymn that has been a family favorite for many years. My dad and I walked down the aisle to “Thaxted” by Holst and the recessional was “Toccata, Symphonie V” by Widor.

Our favorite detail of the wedding was: One favorite detail was arriving at the reception in my uncle’s antique car, a roadster converted from a 1929 Ford Model A, but there were so many special details, it is very difficult to decide on just one!

We were very blessed by our generous family and friends who contributed their time and talents in countless ways. Family friends assembled the table arrangements for the reception, and my grandmother and several friends and family members prepared the majority of the food for the reception (which is an amazing accomplishment, considering the number of guests!). We also used a lot of items from our family instead of renting, like the silver pieces and the furniture at the reception.

Describe your wedding cake or dessert. Dear family friends generously gave us our cake as a wedding gift. It was a traditional, three-layer white cake with vanilla buttercream frosting and beautiful white roses cascading down the side. We also served homemade vanilla and chocolate ice cream made by my brother.

How did y’all meet? Tell us your love story. We met our senior year at Clemson University and started dating that spring. After graduation, I began medical school and Sean moved to Atlanta for graduate school. Even with busy school schedules and a few hundred miles between us, we still saw each other as much as we could.
Tell us all about the proposal! We were both back in Clemson for a friend’s wedding. The evening after the wedding, Sean suggested we go for a walk on campus, which is something we enjoyed doing together frequently as students. We eventually stopped at a scenic place on campus where he asked me to marry him!
When did y’all get married? August 9, 2014
How many friends, family members, and loved ones attended your wedding? 400
Describe your wedding flowers. The bouquets were made up of white garden roses and hydrangeas, accented with magnolia leaves. We used lots of magnolia leaves from my grandmother’s trees in the wedding. My mom made magnolia leaf garlands and wreaths for the church–the poor magnolia trees were starting to look pretty bare after she was finished with them! We used family silver pieces from my mom, grandmothers, and aunts as the containers for the reception table centerpieces.
Did you have something borrowed, blue, old, and new? If so, do tell! I borrowed my mom’s pearl earrings. The handkerchief I carried was monogrammed with blue thread. I wore my great-grandmother’s diamond ring and a new pearl bracelet from Sean.
What Southern details or traditions did you include in your celebration? What was Southern about your wedding? Our goal was to incorporate our families as much as possible. We displayed wedding pictures of our parents and grandparents at the reception. The menu also included several Southern family recipes, including my great-grandmother’s benne seed cookies and cheese biscuits made by great-aunts. My mom made her famous pecan pralines for the favors.
What is the one detail or vendor that you were so happy to have as a part of your wedding? We loved having Olivia as our photographer; she also happens to be a member of my extended family! She has photographed several other weddings in our family, so I was very familiar with her incredible talent and had hoped that she would be our photographer for a while.
What’s next for you as a couple? What are you most looking forward to about married life? After dating long distance for three years, we are thrilled to finally enjoy each other’s company on a daily basis. We are very excited to move to Charlotte, where I will start my pediatric residency training in June.

Photographer: Olivia Griffin Photography / Planner: Lisa Kirk / Ceremony Venue: First Presbyterian Church of Laurens / Reception Venue: Private residence / Florist: Rick Childers / Rentals and Lighting: Event Rentals / Paper Products: Reaves Engraving, Inc / Bride’s Gown: “Rosanne” by Steven Birnbaum / Bridal Salon and Accessories: The Poinsett Bride / Bride’s Shoes: Something Bleu / Bridesmaids’ Dresses: “D627” by Alfred Sung in Black Dupioni / Menswear: Jos. A. Bank

lisa Written with love by Lisa
5 Comments
  1. avatar Katie Purnell reply

    Traditional, classic weddings are the best. So beautiful.

  2. avatar Loverly reply

    We always like when a bride really takes the time to include family traditions and recipes into her wedding! It makes the day truly special and one of a kind!

  3. avatar Chelsea reply

    Oh my goodness, I just love those Mr. and Mrs. chair ties- they look just like ones from one of the Southern Newlyweds home tours!

  4. avatar Sara reply

    Hi there! I love that the bride’s mother made garland and wreaths from magnolia leaves. We have some magnolias in our yard. How far in advance do you think you could make those before the wedding day?! Maybe I could prolong their shelf life with some misting? Thanks so much!!

Southern Weddings reserves the right to delete comments which contain profanity or personal attacks or seek to promote a business unrelated to the post.  And remember: a good attitude is like kudzu – it spreads.  We love hearing your kind thoughts!

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